Visitors talk about their early experiences at Shanghai Disney Resort

Source:Global Times Published: 2016-5-25 18:38:01

A cheerful Minnie Mouse welcomes the guests. Photo: CFP



More than a million visitors have already toured the Disney Resort since the Disney Resort metro station opened on April 26, according to fortune.com. These visitors have been restricted to non-ticketed public space in the resort outside the Disney park. The $5.5 billion Disney park will open on June 16, 2016.

On May 7, Shanghai Disney Resort started a trial operating period, inviting staff members and relatives to visit. Talking with some of these visitors, the first members of the public to experience the Disney Resort, there were the expected complaints about high prices and long queues but many also talked about the genuine excitement and fun they had there.

Jane Chen, an office worker from Jiangsu Province, bought a trial operating period ticket through a friend who is working at Shanghai Disney Resort. She visited the theme park on May 14 and enjoyed an exciting and "special" experience inside the park.

Visitors experience the TRON Lightcycle Power Run during the trial period. Photo: CFP



An innovative story

"I think Disneyland revolutionizes the way things are usually done in amusement parks. They provide an innovative and complete story line and create great visual and sound effects in almost every theme land. You feel totally inside the story as if you were really adventuring," Chen said.

Unlike other amusement parks where many of the violent roller-coaster and spinning rides get visitors throwing up, Disneyland's most thrilling attraction, The TRON Lightcycle Power Run, a race for survival, didn't make her feel at all uncomfortable.

"It's actually not quite a thrill-seeking thing, but the spectacular high-tech visual effects and creative plots are just amazing," Chen told the Global Times.

She said she had to queue for 40-50 minutes for each attraction, and the longest she had to wait was some two hours for the most popular attraction, Soaring Over the Horizon.

"But it was all worth it. I was really excited throughout that. Everything was worth waiting for - they are not just attractions or rides, but wonderlands to explore," Chen said.

Postgraduate student Gloria Gao, visited the park as the relative of a staff member and she also found the experience worthwhile. She most enjoyed the shows and the parade. "The performers are professionally trained, and all their lines are in Chinese. I was delighted to see so many Disney characters coming to life," Gao said.

"And I actually felt I was seeing Jack Sparrow himself when I was in the Pirates of the Caribbean. It was announced as being the 'first-of-its-kind pirate adventure' for any Disney park. I think Caribbean fans from around the world might want to take this adventure."

For Gao, the best thing about the Disney Resort is that it is theme-based and fans can find their own favorite theme land.

A devoted fan of Winnie the Pooh, she spent some memorable moments in the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and was totally immersed in the story.

"If I just wanted thrills I think I could find exciting rides in other parks but I can only find a Winnie the Pooh attraction here in the Disney Resort."

All attractions prove popular and attract crowds. Photo: CFP



Crowds confronting

Gao went to the park on May 13, the second weekend of the trial period and found the crowds somewhat confronting. "There were people everywhere, especially around the parade. And I had to spend an average one hour waiting for each attraction," she complained. "I think it will be terribly crowded after the grand opening. Though I plan to visit again with friends, I will wait until next year at least."

At a press conference on May 19, Murray King, the vice president of public affairs for the Shanghai Disney Resort, outlined Disney's crowd management procedures. "The Shanghai Disney park is designed to have the capacity for all guests to have a truly wonderful experience. And we do that by limiting the number of guests that can come to the park on each day, so they can enjoy certain numbers of attractions."

He advised visitors to book tickets online and plan their trips as early as possible.

On the first day of the trial period the park welcomes a special group of visitors - interns who had been working there for the past few months. Cherry Zhang and Zhang Wen, students from the Shanghai International Studies University, had provided translations for the Disney Resort. Cherry Zhang worked as a French interpreter for nine months and Zhang Wen was an English interpreter for four months.

"Interpreters had to follow the engineers everywhere. So I had to climb up and down with a safety helmet almost every working day, and I saw what the park was like when there was scaffolding everywhere."

Zhang said she was honored to have been invited to visit the park and felt a sense of achievement. "All our hard work paid off. I feel very proud to have played a role!"

Zhang Wen said the project managers for each attraction had been in the park on the trial day, monitoring the performances and asking visitors for feedback. "I caught sight of the project manager for my work zone the moment I entered the park. He told me how excited he was seeing so many guests smiling happily after experiencing his attraction."

The park looks stunning with its night lights. Photo: CFP



Very touching

"In the Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure attraction, the visitors all applauded the project manager and engineers. It was very touching, and reminded me of my working days here again." Zhang Wen told the Global Times.

For Zhang Wen, the most valuable part of the park was the creativity. "Each designer is a great story teller. High-tech can be imitated, but their creativity is unique."

One of the most-heard criticisms of the Disney Resort is that it is "expensive." A common complaint is that the park is only for wealthy Chinese and that it will be unaffordable for ordinary people.

Trial visitor Chen didn't buy any food inside the park but spent 100 yuan ($15) on a Minnie Mouse headdress. "You are allowed to bring some food in, as long as it's packaged," Chen said. "I didn't spend any other money except for the headdress. It is a bit expensive, but I enjoyed myself so much I didn't care about the cost."

Gao said the items on sale inside the park were no more expensive than items at Disney-themed stores outside and the average food prices were about the same as the cost of food downtown.

"Visitors from other cities may think that the food prices are ridiculously high, but since I have lived in Shanghai for two years and know that things at amusement parks are usually expensive, I found the 70-yuan cost for a Disney children's set meal for example, was understandable. They are large meals and you could fill up with just one of the set meals," Gao said.

She didn't eat lunch at the park because she was not interested in the Western style foods like hamburgers and pizzas. "It's not because of the price, but because I don't think these foods are tasty."

A Mickey Mouse cake

She did buy some cakes when she left the park, "A brightly colored Mickey Mouse cake cost me 25 yuan. It's not expensive at all. The cakes you buy in Shanghai are more expensive."

Disney spokesman Murray King told the May 19 press conference that Disney provided different options for guests from different parts of China according to their affordability - from "bringing their own commercially packaged food to enjoying free drinking water from the water fountains, to enjoying a range of different food experiences from fast food to fine dining with table service.

"And that also extends to our hotel rates which include family prices and luxury prices," King said. "Actually our regular season ticket prices (370 yuan) are the lowest of all Disney Magic Kingdom parks around the world, and the pricing also allows us to cater to Chinese middle class consumers."

The article was written by Gu Qianwen
Newspaper headline: The first reports


Posted in: Metro Shanghai, City Panorama

blog comments powered by Disqus